Sonny wrote:semi-final Saturday as it is is probably the best day of snooker in the calendar year. I'm with jojo, have it start a little earlier. To change it so the final weekend has a Saturday filled with non-top level snooker would be a massive disservice to snooker.
I have a feeling if the current government has its way and moves the Mayday Bank Holiday then snooker chiefs will have a rethink. But the current set up is perfect in my opinion. I've grown up with it like this, the only change I can remember is when they increased the semis from best of 31 to best of 33, but 16 is a nicer number than 18 and to move it back to best of 31 for the semi would put it back right and shave 2 frames off those late Saturday night deciders.
Me too, I think they'll reduce the tournament to 16 days - hardly much shorter but it would take some reconsideration of the format - which could work as this
Two Table
Sat - Two Matches conclude (9,10) - Two Begins (9)
Sun - Two Matches begin and Conclude (9,10) - Two Conclude (10)
Mon Two Matches begin and Conclude, (9,10) To begin (9)
Tue Two Matches begin and Conclude (9.10) Two conclude (10)
Wed Two Matches begin and Conclude (9,10) - Two begin (9)
Thu - (Rest am) pm - Two Rd 1 conclude (10) - Two Rd2 begin (9)
Fri - Two Matches begin and conclude (9,10) - Two conclude (10)
Sat Two Matches begin and conclude (9,10), Two begin
Sun - (Rest AM) Remaining Rd2 games conclude (10)
Mon - Opening of Four Qfs - Two Matches of two sessions (8,8) and Two of One, (8)
Tue - Conclusion of Four Qfs Two Matches of one session (8,9) and One of One (9)
One table
Wed - Opening sessions of Semi-Finals - Best of 33 Frames (8)
Thu - Two sessions of One Semi (8,8,) - One session of the other (8)
Fri -
Sat - First two sessions of Final (8,9) - Best of 33 Frames
Sun - Last two sessions of Final, (8,10) - Best of 35 Frames
Obviously this would mean a reduction in round two from 25 to best of 19 frames, not the ideallist situation
However, there is already examples from 1985, 1990 and 1995 of the tournament starting on the Friday morning, personally I think that this should have been kept but thats just me,
But to conclude - 1982 began on the Friday evening, and the first rest session was when the set was being rerigged for the start of the Semis - so possibly having an evening start, with no matches concluded however, may be the way to go?
Another thing - it was commented a while back on here about evening sessions obviously not overruning so I wonder about the value of some of the matches beginning with an evening session playing a 10 frame first session, obviously the risk with that comes with a 10-0 whitewash, but it was a regular feature in the early days of the crucible, and up until 1996, the semis used to be split 7789 and 8779 - obviously this years final is going to play 17 frames on Day One rather than 16